Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Second Letter to the Thessalonians, which is among the
source texts used for the Readings of the Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is something of a problematic biblical text. Although it has
traditionally been attributed to Saint Paul, writing with Saint Barnabas and
Saint Silvanus/Silas (cf. 2 Thess 1:1), most modern scholars believe that this
text (among others) was written several years after Paul’s martyrdom. Whether
this letter was written by Paul or by those who had been formed by the Apostle
is, however, in many ways irrelevant to the meaning of the text for the Church
today. The text itself, which was certainly known to Marcion and Saint Polycarp
(in the mid-second century), describes a local community that was experiencing
persecution or dangers from heretical (i.e. gnostic) movements and which was at
danger of losing its focus on the Faith that Paul and his collaborators had
handed over to the community by their preaching and witness (cf. Raymond Brown,
S.S., in The Introduction to the NewTestament, 594-596).

Our situation is somewhat similar to that faced by those for whom 2 Thessalonians was intended, and we are mindful of those Christians throughout the world (e.g. in the Middle
East and Southeast Asia) who are suffering for their faith in Jesus, as well as
those who are the victims of violence and natural disasters, most recently the
victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. We also think of the debates
concerning religious liberty here in the United States.

Although it might not be immediately apparent, our union
with those who are suffering is at the heart of the Church’s belief in the communion
of saints. As the Catechism of the Catholic
Church observes, “In the sanctorum communio,
‘None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself’ (Romans 14:7). ‘If
one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice
together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it’ (1
Corinthians 12:26-27)… In this solidarity with all humanity, living or dead,
which is founded on the communion of saints, the least of our acts done in
charity redounds to the profit of all” (¶953).

In the passage from the Second Letter to the Thessalonians
proclaimed on this Sunday, we are reminded that, while the invitation to
discipleship is itself a gift from God, the work of discipleship is ours: “We
are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and
will continue to do” (2 Thess. 3:4). The emphasis here is on action as an expression of belief and
this Letter more broadly reminds us that to live our faith now, in the present,
is to live for the future. By saying this, I don’t only mean looking towards
the eschaton, the time of Christ’s
return in glory, but it is living in such a way that those around us might have
a future, as well. Environmental stewardship, working for justice, securing the
rights of the poor and the marginalized, caring for the mentally ill, and
providing comfort and encouragement to the victims of violence and
discrimination are only a few examples of how we can put into practice the
faith which has been handed on to us and live as the saints we are called to
be.

About Me

I am a member of the Society of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorians) and currently serve on the staff of the Milwaukee Catholic Herald and as a regular contributor to Aleteia.org. In addition to my work as a writer and editor, I am also a retreat leader and presenter who is passionate about adult faith formation and am available to lead retreats, classes, and times of reflection for parish groups and others (in both Catholic and non-Catholic parishes and faith communities).

If you are interested in arranging a time of reflection or presentation for your parish, religious community, or prayer group, please contact me at SilasSHenderson(at)gmail(dot)com.